Vrancea – land of confluence

First Prize

"Porțile Vrancei" Competition

Context
The first 4 landmarks were inaugurated in 2018, together with the 100-year anniversary of the Great Union.
. The theme of the competition was building an element that was representative of the history and identity of Vrancea County. A totem was placed on each county border to the North, South, East and, West.

Concept
Through its geographical position, Vrancea was always located at the confluence between the three large historical regions of the country: Moldova, Wallachia, and Transylvania. This region was a front line during the wars, however, it also played a key role in the unification of the Romanian Principalities of Moldova and Wallachia in 1859.
The purpose of signaling all the entry points in Vrancea County is to move beyond communicating the change in the administrative county border. The geometry expresses the tectonic tension of the confluence. Each of the four landmarks represents a region and the elements are visible from a significant distance even during nighttime. The landmarks are both historical witnesses and a symbol of overcoming the limits. The copper is reminiscent of Vrancea’s vineyards and the concrete textures with wood prints are reminiscent of the woodwork tradition.

The landmarks are both historical witnesses and a symbol of overcoming the limits.